Ten Minutes by Tractor Estate Chardonnay 2010 (Mornington Peninsula, Vic)
13.5%, Screwcap, $42
Source: Sample
www.tenminutesbytractor.com.au

No disguising my pleasure for these 2010 Ten Minutes by Tractor wines – they’re right up my alley. Authentic, full flavoured Mornington Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with weight and swagger.

This ‘Estate’ Chardonnay is a blend of McCutcheon and Wallis vineyard fruit that was whole bunch pressed, naturally fermented and spent 10 months in barrel.

You can see that swagger just by picking up the bottle – its heavy. This smells deep and serious too, with very fine almond meal and walnut nose showing layers of mealy oak and rich-but-contained fruit. That sense of overt richness brought back by structure is throughout this wine, the palate immediately full but dry and long too, the mid palate typically honeyed in Mornington style although the finish is dry and clean, if perhaps a little oak edged.

White burgundy meets the Mornington peninsula here – I can’t see why anyone would buy a similar priced Bourgogne or even many premier cru Burgs when you can have a Chardonnay as satisfying as this.

Drink: 2012-2016
Score: 18.5/20 94/100
Would I buy it? Yes, definitely. In fact it might be hard to justify the $65 price for the single vineyard wines considering how good this is.